Meet George

I am so excited. Greg was doing some photo archieving online and found these long lost pictures of the Cairn that brought me to this breed.

George Cothren of El Cerrito.

This little dog was found haggard and retched on the streets of Oakland, California in about 1995. When I met him, his coat was practically nonexistent and he stunk. He was also kind of a grump, very particular about how he was handled. He and I struck a cord from the first moment and the rest is history. He came to live with us for a few years after my grandma died and his passing still brings tears! He adored my grand daughter Maya and could always be found sleeping next to her crib when she was visiting. He was amazing and endearing and brought both Greg and I to where we are now in the Cairn community!

A thing of beauty..

.... is in my house right now. Thanks to my kids and hubby. I got it for Christmas.

Next step, training Kona and Merl to think it is the most wonderful thing on earth!

By the way, it is from Affordable Agility and is really lightweight and wonderful. It is called a mini teeter it is the perfect size for hauling around (and fits in the dining room!)>

A Visit To Jimmy

Today Zoe, Padme, Marty and I decided to take a walk...we have been suffering from major cabin fever. We called Sharon and asked if Jimmy would like company. We then set up for a journey of 35+blocks. An hour later we arrived. I thought the dogs would be exhausted, but as soon as they saw Jimmy, the party began. They played and played and played! Much to my relief, Ed and Sharon brought us home in their all wheel drive Honda. Our street is still a mess, so I have no idea when we will be driving ourselves.

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

We are having snow AGAIN this evening. I am pretty sick of it. We have had a total of at least 16 inches.

These pictures were taken looking down in my backyard from a second story window. The picture of Greg is Christmas morning giving the seven dogs who were here with family the run of the yard to burn off some energy.

The picture of Kula is rather bitter sweet. Just after this picture was taken, she apparently injured her non repaired ACL (the other leg). We are waiting for swelling to go down (and the vet office to return from Christmas week off). She is completely off of it, too much like what happened in March. Next week we will find out if we are facing another surgery. Based on this latest incident, it looks like agility is over for Kula. I have spent the last two days crying whenever I think of it. Maybe he (the vet) will tell me she will be stronger now and agility will be okay. Somewhere deep inside, I know that is not what he will say and need to figure out how to let her play on the equipment and not injure herself. Maybe Heidi will assure me that Teacup is totally stress free. Her little girl had ACL repair I think. There are dogs waiting to be trained, I hope Kula taught me enough that I don't make a mess of them!

Pondering tire chains

I can remember (sad as it is) the past record snow fall in 1968. Auntie Peter (my dad's twin sister) and Uncle Ed were visiting from Maine. Uncle Ed was adamant about shoveling the sidewalks and driveway and was saddened by the fact that schools were closed with such a small inconvenience.

Tire chains are required to drive in Washington County and I'm without tire chains... what to do.. what to do. Do I call around to see if I can find some? Do I head out on foot to finish my shopping? Do I continue to stay home and bake cookies, crochet presents and walk doggies? What will I do tomorrow if it dumps more snow?

Oz and Happy are having a great time. They go out back and make colored snow. The sit patiently by the back door and watch the pudgy little birdies eat out of the feeder hanging along the fence. Last night we went for a glorious walk around the neighborhood, we were gone at least an hour. We had to stay on the street because the snow is so deep on the sidewalks that Happy has to leap-frog to make any progress. Oz hops, it's only chest high on him. We all get a great work out tho. Last night was the ultimate in a Christmas evening walk; Cold but no wind, no snow or rain, very quiet and the Christmas lights were so brilliant against the white snow. The LED ones that were covered by snow were especially beautiful, they gave the snow a heavenly glow. The boys ran up and down, back and forth, peeing and sniffing. I'd call them in every once in a while just to keep in touch. I was at such peace when we got home, Oz crawled up on the couch onto my lap, Happy next to his butt and we just sat there silently.

More about SNOW

Since there's not much else to talk about, being unable to leave the house. My daily life consists of 90 minutes of chores each morning making all the livestock comfortable (the horses are turned out today for the first time in a week, not because the weather today is any better, but because they can't stay in forever), then a few hours of playing on the internet, another hour of chores, and drinking caffinated beverages into the night to ensure that I don't fall asleep so early that I would wake up before 9am, when it starts all over again.

I invited the neighbor kids over this afternoon for dogsled practice. I am going to put Rain in his pulling harness and let him drag them around the yard. The mother said, "Isn't that a little dangerous?" This was while we were standing on top of a hill on the road watching the kids sled down, making sure a car didn't come and hit them, and I was using a 4-wheeler to pull them back up after each run. No, the dog isn't dangerous. Hopefully will have pictures of that adventure later.

For now (remember to click on pics to make them bigger)







I can't make the pictures go in any sembalance of order, but I'll list the captions and you can match them (I think the pics are in the exact opposite order they should have been)

-Rain makes a snowdog
-The snow here is exactly half a Tally deep
-For a moment, we couldn't see Tally and thought she was buried, so Rain looked for her
-Sammy stood behind Rain while he was looking
-The terriers are smart enough to use trails the big dogs broke

The snow fort

My dogs were not involved with the construction of the snow fort. They were smarter than that. They were inside by the fire where it was nice and warm and dry (with me). Here is a link to how my dear husband saw what was going on. www.425realty.com

Pet Paradise in Japan

Photobucket Album

Pet Paradise

On a recent trip to Japan we were shopping in a Nagoya mall and came upon this shop. I was amazed to see all the things for sale and couldn’t pass up the chance to get a couple of things to take back for gifts! Next to the Pet Paradise was a Pet City. It was a bit larger and mostly the other items your dog may need to survive when the new goggles and a ride in the stroller doesn’t stop the growling in the tummy!
Enjoy the rest of the photos on my next post!

Snow Day in Kirkland

Kula, Kona, Hattie and Merl had great fun playing in the snow. I wonder why they love it so much. After playing they slept the afternoon away. Ah, to be a dog. Come to think of it, I did the same thing, minus the playing in the snow and the nap!

Tiger Tales

All the Adventures we're having! So I figured I'd include my most recent: Bringing Home Baby: Mercator Tiger Paw (Fergus x Beanie, whose pic is to the right).

The story begins with a call from Vicki suggesting I think about buying a nice puppy from Andrew Kramer, one from his beautiful bitch (Vicki knows I love her Mary, and Beanie looks a lot like Mary). I knew it was unlikely, because I board dogs now and have three perfectly fine Cairns sleeping with me these days, but said I'd give it some thought.

An hour later one of the Cairngorm Clan, Marty Verlinich, called to say she loved Daisy and thought she needed a buddy, preferably a boy. Well, when things fall in your lap, what are you supposed to do? I asked her if she'd consider a show dog, and she said, "Yes, it sounds like fun, and can I come, too?"
Oh, it's going to be fun, Marty...just read this blog!
I called Andrew. We exchanged pedigrees and pictures.
Here's Fergus:
http://www.infinitykennelsonline.com/Albums/BIS/Fergus/Fergus-A02.html

So the next thing I know, Marty & Ray have generously donated their airmiles and I'm booked to go pick up this little bundle of potential! The original ticket to D.C. with many legs (including Orlando!) miraculously became two direct flights. Andrew graciously brought Tiger to the airport where both dog and breeder charmed a passing stranger who told us all about her dogs (pitbull & shepherd) while we tried to sign contracts and trade paperwork. She later turned out to be the ticket agent who would reduce Tiger's ticket price, because "he's just so cute!" He made not a peep under the seat from Dulles to SeaTac, I think exhausted from his morning outing. On the ferry he sniffed the cold Puget Sound air and made friends on the sun deck at sunset, looking out at the ships and lights. Under 24 hours total, and he was home safe, playing with Tipsy in the kitchen, and is...this morning...curled up with her in the big dog bed, considering his fate. I think it will be good.

Laughed so hard...

The second best thing about the shows last weekend (the first being Kona's completion of his Canadian championship). The Over the Hill handling competition. At lunch on Friday at the Auld Lang Syne Dog Show in Chilliwack. It was my first time at this show and reading the ad in the premium list, assumed it was to be a serious competition. It was to be judged by a panel of Junior handlers, so I figured it was part of their training, you know , so that the handler can experience the judging experience from "the other side". Feel what the judge feels as the assess all of the dogs and handlers in the ring. Rachel tried to talk me into entering. I was a little grumpy that Kona had not won that day, so opted out of involvement. We did decide it would be fun to check out though, so headed over at the announcement of the beginning of the event.
The first dog/handler team in the ring was a stuffed dog in a cart! Next dog was another toy dog that did tricks! Bearded Collies followed and that cart dog and the little dog doing tricks were nearly the undoing of the Beardie puppy! He was going crazy to get to those fun looking things.
There were about 14 total entries. One lady with a standard poodle, had done her hair and the poodle with the same hair do and a flamboyant gait and arms...oh, and don't forget the $20 tucked into her armband which she pointed out to the judges panel! There was a pro handler wheeled in on a cart dollie, pretending he was so old, that was the only way to get to the ring. The costumes playing on age related weaknesses were delightful. One of the "handlers", when asked to "go down and back" handed his leash to the judge and trudged down and back as requested. Another handler pretended he couldn't hear what the judges were saying and handed them a pad to write what they wanted. One of the women had mistakenly grabbed her grooming arm (with "dog" attached) instead of her cane. There were lots of really funny nuances, and I am sure as I reread this, I will think of more. As the winners were announced, the handlers started tusseling for the place spots, yelling "mine, mine!" Everyone was well entertained and had a good time. All participants were awarded a prize for walking in the ring. As the exhausted judging panel left the ring, I heard one of them exclaim to a friend, "That was a gong show, I am fried!"

Canada, take two

Again, all I could hear while showing in Canada this weekend was dozens of voices from over the years... "it's easy to finish a dog in Canada," and "you can finish a dog in one weekend in Canada!" It does take less points to finish a dog in Canada, but one must still earn those points!

Sammy went Reserve on Friday and Sunday, and went BOW/BOB on Saturday for four more points, bringing her Canadian total to 7 of 10. If she should happen to earn another 3 points the next time we go up, it will have been a cheaper and faster title than her AKC championship, but still not the cakewalk that many folks advertise it as. I'm almost glad it's not that easy; Sammy's International Championship and Int. group placements, including a group 1, are not something I find myself bragging about- that title really does toe the line of being too easy. The Canadian title takes just enough effort to make it something to be proud of.

The Canadian judges seem to be looking for a slightly different type of Cairn than what we usually see here in the NW states. Judge Keke Kahn, from Florida, liked our type and gave Kona his last needed point and Sammy BOW for 4 points. She commented favorably on Sammy's balance and the set of her shoulders; she liked Kona's head, and recognized Cece as a littermate to Kona. She placed Cece high in the class, but told Val that she was not quite the dog Kona is, which most of us would agree with.
When Ms. Kahn came to take a New Champion photo with Kona later, she asked where my bitch was for a photo. I told her mine would finish the next day, and she asked, "What makes you think she'll win tomorrow?" I was a little slow on the uptake, but I should have told her, "Well, you thought she was the best Cairn here today, don't you expect tomorrow's judge to agree with you?" Alas, it was not to be- Canada wants to see me back again.

Merl (Kona x Hattie) was in his first puppy match Friday night. He was adorable, trotting around the ring in a workmanlike manner and standing well on the table.

We also saw our friends Carol and her Goran (Oliver x Rona, brother to Dena's Alex), who is looking stunning, with a wonderful head and a nice hard coat. Two of Goran's puppies were also at the show to celebrate their six month birthday. The boy puppy went Reserve on Sunday.

Rain did nothing all weekend, but did successfully pull our crate dolly into the building on Thursday and back out again on Sunday, so he's at least almost earning his keep.

Check back soon for a post from either Val or I about the "over the hill" handling competition.... for now, I'll just say that the only time I've laughed so hard at a dog show was when they took a picture of all the Junior Handlers at Westminster, no dogs, and the photographer squeeked a toy and threw it off to his left while he snapped the picture, and that time I didn't laugh for nearly as long.

The misadventures of Speed Racer in Canada

Last Thursday, Rachel Westlund and I headed off to Chilliwack BC (that is Canada) in Speed Racer. Our goal was many fold, highest on my list, finish Kona's Canadian Championship...needed 1 point of 10. Highest on Rachel, finish Sammy and get some points on her Malinois, Rain. We took CeCe along as well, Pat had entered her as insurance that there would be at least 1 point available each day. There were three shows and we were pretty optomistic that we would do pretty well.
We arrived at Heritage Park about 2 pm, having made very good time and crossing the border with no problem. The RV parking lady informed me that there was no electricity available. We would have to dry park. No problem, we did that alot on the Montana trip of 07. She told us we could park anywhere we wanted in the main lot. So, off we went and found a place fairly close to the doors, while not being an obstruction. I set up the exhaust pipe for the generator while Rachel set up our grooming area...luckily getting one of the last remaining power spots! We were feeling quite plucky and full of ourselves at that point. It was a beautiful day and the sun was streaming in the window, a glorious red sunset. Remembering the rhyme "Red sky at night, sailors delight" I was very optomistic that the weather reports of an incoming storm were (as usual) over rated. Rachel reminded me that we were a good ways inland and possibly that rhyme didn't have much to do with a forcast for us.
Thursday night everything went as planned (except we didn't have microwave popcorn). Waking on Friday morning, the generator didn't fire up quite as usual, but I was only mildly concerned. I did mention it to Greg after we showed. By night on Friday, we knew we were in trouble. The generator wasn't working as it should. The battery wasn't getting charged, without a charge, the generator would not start. So, now we were dry camping without any power. We had a small propane heater and some flashlights. Luckily Rachel had gotten us a power spot for grooming and we took up residence there! The temperatures were in the 20's it was snowing and blowing and very bad weather. I would run out, turn on the oven and start the heater to try to avoid freezing up any pipes etc. Fix some food and run back to our little camp inside the grooming building. We would sleep in the RV, moving ourselves and the dogs back inside the heated building as soon as it opened in the mornings.
If we hadn't been so stubborn, we could have moved to a hotel. It would have meant leaving the dogs in the grooming building overnight, so we toughed it out. That was a last option!

Leaving yesterday was nuts. The wind was still blowing and the wind chill was just about 0 degrees! We had to break down our little camp (in the nice heated building) and load the motorhome, we did it very quickly needless to say. It was no fun driving in the wind, but at least the wind let up when we hit the snowy, icy roads!

There were no more mechanical problems with Speed Racer. A lesson learned, no more winter dry camping in the motor home. We were very lucky things turned out as well as they did!

New Canadian Champion

Kona did it on Saturday! Thank you Judge Keke Kahn from Florida!

Yes, Ratty Rat is OK

Just a quick note on Ratty Rat. He has moved into the family room. Imagine, a rat living in my new house first. But - I went out to check on him as I worked my way through the snow. His water was slushy so I brought him in. He has to stay in the little apartment but it is warm. It is about 5 degrees warmer in the new addition than the rest of the house. :) I can hear Alex and Mary barking as I type. He may have to move into the closet so I can shut some doors between us.
Everyone stay warm and safe!

Enslow and me

Here some of what Enslow and I did last month at the Bearded Collie National Specialty in Rohnert Park California. This run gave us a 1st place in the Novice Class. It was fun!

This IS a Memorial

To differentiate it from our I-love-this-dog tributes we regularly post here.

Spirit, my old black dog, was put to sleep last night when my brother (who believed himself to be her owner) came home and found her unable to stand. Her Cushings caught up with her; her pancreas was inflamed past the point of function.

Spirit was my first sport dog, and the dog who taught me what dog sports are. Never having a formal class, or even real equipment at home, she could run a full agility course. At her fitness peak, she could high jump more than twice her height, her record being 47 1/2 inches. She won a frisbee distance and accuracy competition at 8 years old, having learned to catch a frisbee in the air by realizing it was the best way to keep it out of the other dog's mouth- get there first.

Spirit earned her CD title with ASCA and with the Mixed Breed club. With her help, I won Best Handler at the MBDC Nationals. In 4-H, she was a wonderful Showmanship dog, helping me earn the Grand Junior title at our county fair, and two years in a row, being the ONLY mixed breed dog to make it to the Showmanship Finals at the State Fair.

When I was 16 we went to a local "pet dog show" fundraiser for a shelter, with competitions throughout the day, and a "top dog" award given at the end. Spirit won almost everything she was in, the barking contest, most obedient dog (she could heel backwards, long before Rally Obedience made that commonplace), best trick (I can no longer remember what she did- she had more tricks than any dog I've met), everything. At the end of the day they declared her Top Dog; we were interviewed for a radio show and she was awarded a giant bed, big enough for both of us, and a trophey taller than her, with a German Shepherd on top, which I still have.

Flyball was her passion and mine for several years. At her first flyball practice, she learned the entire course and ran it without any help. Years of running in the 5.8-second range earned her a Flyball Champion-Gold title, just a few hundred points shy of the coveted flyball master title when she was taken away from me. Her record runs were under 5 seconds, the mark in our club for an A-Team dog.

More than all of that, Spirit was my pet and companion. Her goal in life was to make sure my little blue Ranger truck never left without her. She would sneak in if I left the door open for even a moment. The fence had a loose spot over by the gate, and if I drove away without her, she would slip under and sit outside the gate, better to hear me returning. Most of the time, she heard the truck and was back in the yard before I saw her, but sometimes I'd catch her out.

All 45 pounds of her was a pretty scary dog when she was mad. Driving home from Canadian flyball one time, 2 am at a deserted rest stop, I took her to the bathroom with me, as I always did. I pushed open the door, looking down at her, and it was her head snapping up that made me look. A man was moving across the women's room toward us. Spirit pulled forward and went "BAROWROWROWROW" while I backed out and slammed the door. We raced to the car and I let her jump in to the front seat to get away faster. We weren't being followed, but she watched the building intently in case she had another chance to bark him down.

As a trainer, I would never recommend a dog with her sparkfire temperment and willingness to put teeth on people if her feet were touched for a home with small children. Yet, we moved in with Maggie when the kid was 7 months old. The kid stepped on the dog, looked down her ears with flashlights and practiced walking her on leash. Spirit was neverendingly tolerant of the toddler, waiting patiently for her tiny hands to grasp the ball, and fetching it religously, even if it fell out of Maggie's hand backwards.

Tally was also a puppy when we moved in all moved in together. When Tally went through her naughty phase, chewing up a nice wool coat and crying when left in a crate, the phrase "Can't you be more like Spirit?" was uttered. I then thought of the time Spirit was crated in the fully-packed car, and pulled my mother's new down jacket through the bars and chewed a large corner off. And the fact that Spirit was perfectly content in a crate, as long as I was in her line of sight. If I left the room, she would whine incessently.
As Tally grew into a mature, well-behaved terrier (at 8 months) who could be left in the car and not eat my breakfast sandwhich if I put it on the dash and told her to leave it alone while I ran back inside for my hat, only to find Spirit had, in the 2 minutes I'd been warming up the car, jumped the baby gate into the pantry and eaten an entire bag of chocolate chips, the phrase "Can't you be more like Tally?" became commonplace. Even as I spoke it, I knew that Spirit was exactly who she needed to be, and exactly who I wanted her to be.

I moured her loss three years ago when my brother took her back from me with the misguided notion that he still owned a dog that had been in my possession for almost nine years. Every time I've seen her since then I've told myself it's a bonus, more than I thought I'd have, and it was a good thing. But it was also the worst of both worlds- I didn't have her, and yet I still had to watch her get old.
The nine years I had with her were worth it, though. There is no value greater than the love and bond we have with our dogs for the short time they are with us.

Beware the Racoons!

Lauren Golden is a friend who owns one of Pat's puppies, Maisie and one of Vicki's puppies, Obie. I have copied an email she sent to me earlier today.
BTW - I was attacked by a raccoon last night!!! I was taking Maisie out to potty on her flexi leash, while I was holding Obi in my arms. She charged over to the neighbors' yard and was barking/whining/terrier-noising like crazy. I knew that something - cat, raccoon, squirrel - must be over there, so I started pulling her back on the flexi. She would not budge. She had more strength than ever! So I walked backwards, trying to pull the flexi in. I wasn't watching her, just pulling. Next thing I know, I look down and see a huge (e.g., bigger than a Cairn by far) raccoon AT MY FEET! Next thing I know, the raccoon is bitting my leg, I am screaming and kicking it. I don't know if I kicked it first or what. All I knew is that it was going to get Maisie, and I was not about to let anything get her if I could help it. So...as I was kicking and screaming, I felt Obi tense up. Luckily, he didn't try to jump or maybe I had a close grasp on him. It was so mamma bear protecting her little pups. Finally, Scott helped us inside and the raccoon is just staring at us! So, off to the ER and I got a tetanus and rabies vaccine and immune globuline around the two bites. And I have to have four follow-up shots. It was all really scary, especially the thought of the raccoon getting the dogs. But, in the end, I would rather the raccoon have gotten me then them. I just can't believe it came up to me!
So, beware the racoons!

Are your "boys" included?

Kona is here, but there are some of my favorite "boys" missing! These guys are all sporting Barb Schuster ties! Janis Whitcomb is the artist. It is the cutest thing ever. (Of course, Kona is most unphotogenic..bottom left just next to the threesome.)

Darn roommates....

I have Pat's puppy (formerly Val's puppy "Meritage"), Tipsy, here for the week. She is extremely cute and loving, and one of the most pick-up-able dogs I've ever been around. She loves to be picked up and carried and is most happy to hang out in my arms for, it seems, hours at a time.

Tonight, I believed the roommates to be both gone (despite all the lights being on in the house....) based on the lack of cars in the driveway. I came home from our important and productive CRCTC meeting, let the puppy out of the laundry room, and was greeted with a wonderful puppy dance- bowing, spinning, wagging and throwing herself upside-down on my feet. I backed away to encourage her to get up and she followed, leapt at me and went back into a play bow. I scooped her up and she wiggled in my arms and ended with her chest against mine, one of her paws extended toward one of my hands.

The next thing that happened *might* have been that I got in a little on the puppy-dancing...... then we *might* have spun a circle around the living room, with a little boogey in front of the couch... and the words "do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight" *might* have come out of my mouth.... before turning back to face the hallway and seeing one of the roommates doubled over in silent peals of laughter.....

Of course, that might all have not happened. Just remember, should you ever hear it from my roommate, that there are two sides to every story.....

Rain has new toys

They eat more than the toys I acquire for the terriers, and take up more space, but then, Rain eats more than the terriers and takes up more space, so it all seems balanced.

Added links

I have added some links to blogs I enjoy following. Hopefully you will enjoy reading them too.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Late at night, on one of those rare occasions that I am home, I sit on my couch and watch movies. Chick flicks to be specific. Tonight is "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" a story of 4 young college girls and their friendships, turmoil, lives.. albeit a brief glimpse, it speaks volumes of the dynamics women and their relationships with each other, their families and men.

Tonight.. I had two sweet boys curled up next to me, one on each side of me, sound asleep.

When it was just Happy and I, BO (before Oz), I would be on the couch and Happy would be snuggled in his Critter Cube under the chair against the wall. It makes me appreciate the way life is.... Happy was who he was because that is what I needed when I first brought him home. He was a puppy that would take me on walks without fear. He would let me know how much he loved me by staying in the coat closet by the front door all day until I got home and would then greet me with a wagging tail when I came home. Holly called him my closet dog. When I had the second bout of cancer and was gone for an extended time she was quite concerned about him until I came home and then she understood. He would let me have the bed to myself but stayed close by during the night. I can't tell you how many times he's awaken me because I wasn't sleeping right, I suspect a bit of apnea or perhaps I was snoring too loud.. :) Last week, for the first time ever, Happy slept on the bed with me, not just for a while but all night, not just at the foot but right next to me. Did he know I needed him there by my side those 2 nights or was it really just because TomCat had his rocking chair? No, he knew I needed him there. Typically, if Tom was in the Rocker he would go under another chair in my bedroom and sleep there. Not those two nights, he was there next to me.

My sweet Ozman has changed our hearts. He has been goofy, sweet, loving and gentle (most of the time) and turned both Happy and me into snuggling machines. He's showed Happy how to play tug, fetch, be really cute for treats!! Best of all, he's showed him how to lay on the couch and get petted "'til ya pass out"!! AS hard as I tried I couldn't get a picture of them on the couch with me so you'll have to settle for these shots of them sleeping in other places in the living room. I think this weekend has been hard on them.. having me home all the time is hard :)

I love these two little doggies, they are my life, my loves... and tug at my heart all day long no matter where I am.

Sweet Lou is brilliant!

Janice took Lou (formerly Zin) to his first clicker class last night. The instructor said he was brilliant! Janice said there was nothing she could teach him because he already knows it all. (Now there is a scarey thought...a 5 month old terrier who "knows it all"!) We have always known he is very smart and eager to please as with all of his siblings. Have fun Janice and Sweet Lou, a good start to a lifelong love of learning.

He is 8 days old in the picture. His registered name is Crofters Dream Zinfandel O Cairngorm.

Dena is a Grandma..

...and Bill is a Grandpa. Her name is Scout. I am sure Dena will share more pictures later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAT!!!

Happy birthday to a wonderful human being! It has been a delightful journey, still enroute.

Hope it is a wonderful day for you and you don't groom too many doggies there on Bainbridge Island at the Bed and Biscuit!

Oh Canada!

My first trip back to Canada since quitting flyball 2 1/2 years ago. I remember that crazy time of flyball, when I went to Canada 17 times in two years. Where did I get the money and how the heck did I have the time???

Tally got to stay at Castle Quarles for the weekend. I'm not sure she noticed we were gone.
Sammy's an old vetern of Canada and handled the border crossing very well. At first I only had a rabies certificate for Mary, so the plan was that Sam would answer to "Mary" at the border, but then we stopped and got a new one for Sammy printed off. Rain's job on the drive was to be quiet and not take up much space (his male privilege sometimes goes to his head....) and he did a fine job of it. We added Pat and her two girls in Seattle. One of them barked at the rear windshield wiper each time I ran it, which gave her some cuteness points.

On Friday when Sammy went BOB and got three points (with only 10 needed) I was thinking, "Everyone says it's easy to finish a dog in Canada, and wow are they right. This IS easy." The rest of the weekend, not even getting out of the Open Bitch class, I realized that it's only easy if you win.

Sammy showed me how much she has matured. She hasn't been shown since finishing in Montana 18 months ago (yay conception of the blog!!). Back then, she bounced off me and around the ring. A squeeky in another handler's hand was a disaster, casuing her to spin and flip. I remember a large Open class in Portland where the judge asked me if the dog ever stood with all four feet on the ground. On the table, she would lean back away from the judge, not because she was shy but because she didn't want her face touched.

This time, I couldn't get her feet off the ground. I started feeding her for standing on my knee simply to get her moving. Table manners were perfect. She free stacked well through the entire class and was serious about staring her bait down. In the large group, she didn't want her tennis ball- this wasn't a game, what was I thinking? Just put the chicken (thanks Val) in front of her face and stand still, like she was. It was a different style of handling her than I was used to, but by the end of the weekend I was appreciating what it is to show a mature, well-trained and well-behaved dog (ahem...... Rain, you're next).

Because we had fun, we decided to do it again immediatly. Chillawick entries close tomorrow and Pat, Val and I will be going again. I didn't really want a job until after Christmas, right?

Hattie is three now!

Hattie turned three while we were in Canada. In ways, it is hard to believe she is three already, and yet it is hard to believe she is only three. This picture is her first day with us. Just barely in the door, she grabbed the bone and dared anyone to try to take it from her!

This is the same dog!

Can you believe this is the same dog? Kona in 2006 (the blonde) and 2008. A perfect lesson in not choosing a Cairn Terrier for color!

We spent the weekend in Canada with Pat Gentry and Rachel Westlund. We had four cairns to show, hoping to finish Kona who needed four more points and Rags who needed a couple, maybe picking up some for Sammy as well. Sammy got the points on Friday, Kona on Saturday and Rags came away empty pawed. Rain (the Malanois) was empty pawed as well. That's a dog show for you. We did some sight seeing and sat through a HUGE wind (gusts 90km) /rain storm on Friday night, had a great time. So, we will all need to go back again. Kona only needs one more point....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KULA!!!

THE CUTEST DOG EVER!! Kula has been stealing hearts and winning friends for 9 years today. She is healthy and happy and ruling the roost. We will run out and have some agility today if the weather holds.

No--I'm not crazy

As most of you know, I have been having a 'problem' with Marty's gait. I see it from above while I'm walking him and he looks very off, almost limping, and he has been getting tighter and tighter in the rear. He used to like rides in the car and that too has been getting really bad.

I finally decided to look up a sports vet in Olympia who I had taken KinLoch's Lone Ranger for therapy because he was 'off.' That was about 8 years ago.
We had our first appointment today. I put Marty out front. He clung to the side of the fence shivering. Poor Marty - he so hates car rides. I put him in the harness up front hoping it would be better. Nope, two hours of shivering, panting and restlessness. I feel so bad.

We go in for our appointment with Dr. Patty Schaefer (the Goddess of pain relief.) She watches him trot in the room while I go to the bathroom. I come back and she sees what I'm seeing. Val gets there too. We talk a bit and she manipulates and stretches his back and rear. He is already feeling better. We go outside and as I gait him I look down and I don't see the funny movement. Oh my gosh!

She gives me exercises to do with him as he has little muscle in his 'drumsticks.' She thinks he has been compensating for an injury as a puppy. Maybe this is why he is so shy about touching his rear. In two weeks - another trip up.

Val and I then groom on Kona for the upcoming Canada shows. It starts raining so I decide to put "Marty" in the car. I put him in his seat belt and no shaking or panting. I thought - it is sure nice he doesn't seem to freak out before we start moving like "Homer" does. But wait, he does. We groom and then decide to go to Cabela's for lunch. Argg poor "Marty" - here we go. BUT - he sits quietly and then lays down. No shaking, no trying to crawl on me, no panting. Could he have been hurting so much that the car ride juggling and bumps made it even worse. I think so.

I kick myself for not taking him sooner and yes we should all go with our gut and intuition. We usually are right about things.

PS - "Marty" is the proud papa of three boys and one girl born on Sunday.

Happy Does It Again!

Vicki, Rachel, Sharon and I...otherwise known as "Happy Heads"...had the pleasure of watching Happy perform once again as Toto. This time the venue was Lake Oswego High School. As always, Happy stole the show!

Beach trip

I took the dogs to Seaside the other day. Might as well make good use of my time before settling in to a "real job."

Rain and Sammy entertained themselves by chasing off every bird who thought about being on the beach. Rain would chase them all the way out in the waves and find himself nearly swimming before coming back. Sammy would get distracted from the birds by the bubbles flying along the sand, and would chase those instead. Sammy also thought the man doing Tai Chai was throwing things, balls maybe, so each time we passed him she had to go over and see what he was throwing. Tally was perfect as always, never out of earshot, never bothered another person or dog, and only rolled in one dead thing.

I was sitting at the computer earlier today, hard at work as always, when I heard the downstairs neighbors say, "Look, a dog!" I haven't met the folks yet, despite them having lived in my basement for over a month (hey, I never said I was a social butterfly....). They haven't met my dogs, and they can't see the dogs in my yard from their driveway and house (the wonders of a daylight basement).

I called out to my roommate to look out in the yard and see if all of our dogs were there. I heard the downstairs folks say, "Let's let it in!" Their slider opened, they called "Here cutie!" and then it closed. My roommate reported to me that all of our dogs were in the yard as they should be, and I wondered what neighbor dog had gotten into the downstairs yard.
A moment later I heard, "This is the cutest dog ever. Oh my god! Give it your crust!" and the other voice, "This dog is adorable! We should keep it."

I stood up from the computer, informed my roommate that Tally was downstairs, and went down to knock on their door. They opened it and there was Tally, eating toast crust and wagging. We introduced ourselves, they said they were facetious about keeping her, and I brought Tally back upstairs and had a talk with her about slipping under the fence.

When my roommate asked how I knew it was Tally down there, without seeing her missing from the yard, I repeated what I'd heard- "cutest ever, adorable, let's keep it." What other dog on earth COULD they have been talking about?
My parents kept her for 10 days while I was back at Montgomory. When I returned, I had a calm, polite phone message from them informing me that they were keeping Tally and I could have some visitation rights- remarkably similar to the message I got from Janice and Bill when they kept her over the summer.

She is truely the dog that people meet, want to let in their house, want to feed, and want to keep forever. But she's MINE, all MINE!!!!

Wizard of Oz Thursday November 13 LOHS

Reservations have been made for a "Group of Happy's Happy Groupies" to attend his 3rd starring role as Toto on Thursday November 13 at 7PM at Lake Oswego High School.

Sycamore in his new Digs!

We received this picture today from Sycamore's new Mom, Lisa. He has obviously been to the beauty parlor and spa and has the Candy Corn Bandana to prove it. Doesn't he look Right At Home?

The Women!

LOHS Wizard of Oz

Rehearsals for Happys third production of The Wizard of Oz started Oct 1. The Cast is wonderful and Happy is having fun with them. Rehearsal is, at best, a hurry up and wait game so we limit his time on stage because he gets so bored. Once everyone knows where to be and they run a scene Dorothy (Jesselyn) takes him through. Yesterday I took "Mousie", Happy's favorite toy of all. Dorothy kept it in her pocket with part of it hanging out. The attention Hap paid to it was great. While he was off stage Jesselyn put the bait bag and Mousie on the corner of the stage, in Happy's plain view. Several times while he was not on stage he tried sneaking up and grabbing Mousie and a snack from the bait bag.

I feel for Dorothy, she has so much to do AND, unlike the other actors, she has Happy to deal with. She's doing a fine job and getting better all the time. The picture is (from left to right) Brandon (Scarecrow), Colin (Lion), Jesselyn (Dorothy) shown under Natalie the Wicket witch and Greg (Tin Man).

Performances are Nov 13, 15, 20, 22. @7pm... On Saturday Nov 15 and 22 there is a matinee @2pm as well as an evening show @ 7pm

Padme...in Search of Ancestors!

While attending The Doggie Palooza and Wolf to Woof Exhibit at The World Forestry Center in Portland, Padme...Kinloch's Crofter's Dream at Daybreak...met many canine cousins including the interesting fellow pictured here.
I just added the group shot of the Amazon Women who wowed the Doggie Palooza...Padme, Mama Mary on Duty and Queen Grandmother, Zoe.